Mass U.S. deportations could affect one in 12 Christians, report finds

A new report from four Christian organizations found one in 12 Christians living in America could be deported or live with a family member who could be deported. More than 10 million Christians living in the United States could be deported, the report said. That figure includes illegal immigrants and people with a Temporary Protected Status or other protections who could be withdrawn. Nearly 7 million live with a family member who could be deported. Sixty-one percent of all people at risk of deportation are Catholics, the report said, while 13% are evangelicals.

What are the groups behind the report?

• The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Department of Refugee and Migration Services

• The Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

• World Relief, one of the largest evangelical ministries serving refugees and other immigrants

• The National Association of Evangelicals, an activism and ministry group with 40 member denominations, which founded World Relief

How did the report’s authors determine those numbers? The report took its estimates of the number of all people vulnerable to deportation from a survey and projections by FWD.us, which bills itself as a bipartisan political group that advocates for immigration and criminal justice reform. The report combined that data with religious affiliation estimates from Pew Research and Gordon-Conwell’s World Christian Database.

What was the purpose of the report? The report’s authors said their goal was not to advocate for a specific policy position, but to make Christians aware that many people at risk of deportation are fellow believers. However, they said they are concerned about the possibilities of separated marriages and families and persecution some deportees may face in their home countries.

What’s behind the mass deportations? President Donald Trump, on the day he assumed office, issued an executive order to, in his words, secure U.S. borders. The order called for the deportation of any immigrant in the United States illegally, as well as the establishment of a physical wall and the employment of other means and technology to curb illegal immigration. Among other reasons for the order, the Trump administration cited the influx of deadly narcotics and violent gang members during what it characterized as large-scale invasion of the United States that took place over the course of the prior administration.

Dig deeper: Read Josh Schumacher’s report on the economic effects of mass deportation.